


Good Night

by Viridian5



Category: due South
Genre: Celebrations, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-08-25
Updated: 1999-08-25
Packaged: 2017-10-02 08:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridian5/pseuds/Viridian5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A night of celebration.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Night

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Dawn and Tirinar for read-through.

The whole peanut gallery lifted their glasses and chanted, "Speech! Speech! Speech!" Even Welsh took up the demand, damn him. The natives were smashed.

I'd been nursing my one Guinness all night. Since Ben would be leaving sober, so would I. Well, I'd be mostly sober. "I never would've taken that operation down if I knew I had to make a speech about it," I answered, but I couldn't turn off my grin.

"Speech!"

"You can all go--"

"Ray," Ben said quietly, smiling. It stopped me like nothing else would've.

I looked at my Mountie. He sat there kinda twinkling at me as he raised his club soda for another sip. Diefenbaker sat at his side and gave me a doggy grin. We'd never take him anywhere Dief wasn't welcome.

I grinned, then almost choked as Ben licked his bottom lip. Torturing me in public.... "--all go stick it up your noses. What I meant to say from the beginning."

"Of course, Ray."

"Speech!"

"No!"

"Aw!"

"People, it is 3 a.m. My speech-giving skills are not at their best."

That seemed to wake them up a little, and everybody finally started making noises about getting home. Thank God. It was rude leaving the party early if it was kinda in your honor.

I had the bartender call cabs for everyone. Ben was usually automatic designated driver just 'cause he never drank. He didn't seem to mind, but I hated seeing people take him for granted like that. I mean, they could _ask_ and not just assume, right?

Besides, I wanted to walk home with him.

Everybody split up at the door, most of 'em congratulating me before they left. I told 'em it was nothing, a team effort all the way, and I was right, but I also couldn't help puffing up a little more at all the compliments. It looked like Huey and Dewey were goin' home together again; it sure made things easier for Ben and me being together while those two were around.

It was a cold night, but I felt warm. Ben's hand in mine helped. I almost thought I could see the stars, the air was so damned clear and crisp. Diefenbaker rubbed against my leg and barked joyously before trotting off to walk ahead of us.

I couldn't stop smiling. Ben smiled back and pulled me in closer, with his hand settlin' on my hip and arm draped across my back. "You were splendid today, Ray."

"You helped; everybody did. And are ya saying I'm not always splendid?"

"More splendid today."

"That's more like it."

After weeks of work, we'd taken the whole Petrenko drug operation down today. All of it in a clean bust. They might find some way to wiggle out a bit once the lawyers got involved, but I didn't think they'd get too far. And a lot of the credit went to me. The research, the footwork, most of it was mine. Then we arrested the bastards without that much trouble. Me and Ben were a good team, but I got tired sometimes of being the one who threw himself at the bad guys as a distraction while he figures out what he'd have to do to save the day.

Ben started off tonight's celebrating drunk with a toast to Justice. Cornball, but ya had to love the guy.

I did.

The last month had me floating on air. We played it cool at the precinct and the Consulate, though I still touched him as much as I ever did, which is one of the great advantages of being the type who has to stroke everything. I think everyone pretty much knows anyway, but I've never been the big, mushy public display type, and Ben's not either.

Who'da known that you could spend so much time with a guy and _still_ have more stuff to find out about him? I mean, aside from the lover stuff, ya know. For instance, Ben has a _rude_ sense of humor in private. Watching that mouth snow wouldn't melt in talk like that was almost as big a kick as watching that mouth take in-- Later on that.

But he got hot listening to me use big, five-dollar words. I swear I almost made him come once just from saying some Latin law terms at him. Just as he proved that he wasn't as innocent as he pretended, he forced me to stop acting dumb around him. He knows that my brain and my tongue don't always have a love connection. He always knows what I mean even when the right word's shoved somewhere deep down my throat.

Look at me getting choked up. And I called _him_ a cornball.

"Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray!"

"Yeah, Ben?" I always answered on the last, slightly exasperated "Ray" because I loved to hear him do that fast, machine gun thing. Ya know: same tone, same tone, same tone, same tone, same tone, same tone, HEY!

I'm sure he knows I do that.

"It's a beautiful night."

Just in case I didn't appreciate the wonders of nature, even if they'd been reshaped into the city of Chicago. I couldn't disagree. I was about to end one great day of putting scum behind bars and celebrating with friends by going home with the love of my life. With both of us sober, so whiskey dick wouldn't be a problem.

I smiled and leaned against his shoulder. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

 

### End


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